July 20, 2018, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Parkinson’s disease, formerly referred to as “shaking palsy,” is one of the most common disorders affecting movement and the nervous system. Medical researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have reported a possible cause of the disease in the immune system. The scientists have published their research findings in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein...
Post
Microscopic, Remotely Powered Implant to Read, Transmit Brainwaves from Inside Skull
Brain-computer interfaces and other technologies that rely on reading and stimulating the brain require electrodes to obtain and deliver signals, as well as a way to transmit those signals from within the brain. Electric wires have usually served as the method of connectivity, but they create serious challenges, including a potential for infection, safety issues,...
Post
Targeting headaches and tumors with nano-submarines
New method of transporting drugs published in Nature Nanotechnology JOHANNES GUTENBERG UNIVERSITAET MAINZ Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) have developed a new method to enable miniature drug-filled nanocarriers to dock on to immune cells, which in turn attack tumors. In the future, this may...
Post
Drug now in clinical trials for Parkinson’s strengthens heart contractions in animals
JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE A drug currently in clinical trials for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may someday have value for treating heart failure, according to results of early animal studies by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers. The drug, a member of a class of compounds known as phosphodiesterase (PDE) type I inhibitors, shows promising effects on...
Post
Researchers are one step closer to developing eye drops to treat common sight loss condition
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Scientists at the University of Birmingham are one step closer to developing an eye drop that could revolutionize treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). IMAGE: THIS IS A GENTLEMAN WITH MACULAR DEGENERATION. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Its prevalence is increasing dramatically as the population ages and...
Post
Analytical tool predicts genes that can cause disease by producing altered proteins
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE Predicting genes that can cause disease due to the production of truncated or altered proteins that take on a new or different function, rather than those that lose their function, is now possible thanks to an international team of researchers, including researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, that has developed a new analytical tool...
Post
Enzyme identified as possible novel drug target for sickle cell disease, Thalassemia
July 19, 2018, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Medical researchers have identified a key signaling protein that regulates hemoglobin production in red blood cells, offering a possible target for a future innovative drug to treat sickle cell disease (SCD). Experiments in cultured human cells reveal that blocking the protein reduces the characteristic sickling that distorts the...
Post
Supplement may ease the pain of sickle cell disease
July 19, 2018 by Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter (HealthDay)—An FDA-approved supplement reduces episodes of severe pain in people with sickle cell disease, a new clinical trial shows. Endari, a medicine-grade version of the dietary supplement L-glutamine, reduced sickle cell patients’ number of acute pain crises by 25 percent compared with a placebo, the researchers found....
Post
It’s hot outside: How to stay safe when thermometers rise
(HealthDay)—As much of the United States continues to swelter through 90-plus temperatures and high humidity, one emergency physician is offering advice on keeping safe. First, Dr. Robert Glatter said, it’s important to know that anyone can be a victim of heat stroke, but some people are at particular risk. “Heat stroke develops when the body...
Post
Portfolio diet lowers many risk factors for heart disease
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO University of Toronto researchers have found that the portfolio diet, a plant-based way of eating previously shown to lower cholesterol levels, reduces other risk factors for cardiovascular disease including blood pressure, triglycerides and inflammation. In addition to reducing LDL (or ‘bad’) cholesterol by about 30 per cent when combined with a low-saturated...